HCPCS code G0442: Alcohol screening, annual 15-minute preventive screen2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Iowa

In Iowa, Medicare pays $17.45 for G0442 in the office and $7.67 when it’s performed in a hospital or facility.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · G0442 nationwide

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What G0442 covers

G0442 covers a face-to-face screen for alcohol misuse in an adult Medicare patient, including a pregnant patient, who uses alcohol but does not meet criteria for alcohol dependence. A qualified primary care physician or other qualified primary care practitioner furnishes the service in a primary care setting, such as a family medicine, internal medicine, or geriatrics practice. A validated alcohol screening instrument, such as the AUDIT or AUDIT-C, helps identify risky drinking. Screening may occur during an Annual Wellness Visit, an initial preventive visit, or a separate primary care encounter.

Report G0442 for the annual 15-minute screening service, supported by documentation of the instrument, findings, interpretation, and time spent. If the patient screens positive for alcohol misuse without dependence, brief face-to-face counseling may be reported separately with G0443 when furnished and documented. When screening and an Annual Wellness Visit occur together, document each service distinctly. A significant, separately identifiable problem-oriented E/M service on the same date requires its own documentation and modifier 25 on the E/M code. Medicare waives the Part B deductible and coinsurance for covered alcohol misuse screening.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

How Iowa compares for G0442

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for G0442 runs from $16.80 in Arkansas to $24.67 in San Benito County, CA. Iowa pays $17.45. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

G0442 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

See G0442 in every payment locality

How the G0442 rate is calculated

Each of G0442’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

Payment rules and modifiers for G0442

G0442 has no global surgery period, no multiple-procedure, bilateral or assistant-at-surgery adjustment, and no professional/technical split. What changes the payment is where the service happens: the place of service on the claim decides whether Medicare pays the office or the facility rate.

Codes related to G0442

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

How G0442 has changed in Iowa

Price G0442 for an earlier date of service

Where the Iowa rate applies

Iowa is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 1026 cities and communities in Iowa. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Ackley
• Ackworth
• Adair
• Adel
• Afton
• Agency
• Ainsworth
• Akron

Browse all communities in Iowa

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates